STEVE PUIDOKAS RETIRED NUMBER Steve Puidokas burst upon the WSU basketball scene as a freshman in 1973-74, and by the time he left the Palouse, he had set five school records. He became the first basketball player and only the second student-athlete in WSU history to have his jersey number retired when he was honored Feb. 26, 1977. As a freshman, he averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, earning All-District 8 honors, second team All- Pacific-8 recognition and third team All-West Coast accolades. He also became the first freshman selected to the Jayhawk and Rainbow Classic tournament teams. As a sophomore, Puidokas set school records with 42 points against Gonzaga and a 22.4 points per game season average. He led the Pacific-8 in scoring and was second in rebounding. He received an invitation to the Pan-American team tryouts and was a second team All-Pac-8 selection. During his junior campaign, Puidokas averaged 18.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per outing while garnering second team All-Pacific-8 honors for the third straight season. He became WSU’s all-time leading scorer that season. Puidokas capped his career at WSU by averaging 17.2 points and 9.7 rebounds during his senior season. He left WSU as the Cougars’ all-time leader with 1,894 points and 992 rebounds. He was named second team All-Pacific-8 for the fourth time, earned a second team All-West Coast selection and was a District 8 all-star. At the end of his career, he ranked fourth on the all-time Pac-8 list in scoring and seventh in rebounding. Puidokas still holds the WSU career marks for scoring average (18.6 points per game), field goals (734) and rebounds. In addition, he ranks second in scoring, third in free throws (426) and fourth in rebounding average (9.7). 103 SEASONS 80 81 103 SEASONS AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY THE BEGINNING A basketball team representing Washington Agricultural College and School of Science took the floor for the first time Dec. 7, 1901. The college was just nine years old, the school colors had only recently been changed from pink and blue to crimson and gray, and the game was played against a YMCA team in Spokane because Washington Agricultural College did not have a gymnasium. The Washington Agricultural College coach was John B. Evans, a senior student who would graduate with the class of ’02, six months after that first game. The final score was YMCA 31, Washington Agricultural College 0. In a return game Feb. 17, 1902, dedicating the first gymnasium on campus, situated where New Holland Library is today, John Palmerton, from Pullman, scored the first basket for the college, but it came in a losing effort once again. The final was YMCA 24, Washington Agricultural College 16. Over the 103 years of basketball now recorded at “Coach” Evans remained for one season following Washington State University, only four coaches have his graduation, and his second team earned a place in remained for more than 10 seasons. Here is a look at those Washington State’s sports history books by defeating that in order, with a few notes on others who have coached the pesky Spokane YMCA quintet 18-13 Dec. 13, 1902. Cougars. Professional basketball coaches were few and far between in the early 1900s, particularly in the Wild West. Washington BOHLER’S ERA Agricultural College football coaches James Ashmore, Everett Sweeley and John Bender followed Evans as the basketball Cougar basketball jumped into the Major Leagues soon coaches over the next five seasons, compiling a respectable after “Doc” Bohler’s arrival on the Palouse. record of 42 wins against 27 losses. It was not until the Despite the fact he was coaching just about everything arrival of J. Fred “Doc” Bohler in 1908, as physical director— at Washington State in those days—basketball, baseball, and coach of all sports—that the basketball program at the track—and acting as athletic director and trainer (the latter now State College of Washington (as of 1905) got some earned him his “Doctorate”)—Bohler’s greatest love was continuity. basketball. He had starred for the world champion YMCA team in Reading, Pa., in 1906, just two years prior to coming to Pullman as physical director and coach. In 1916, Washington State’s basketball team was 18-3 and won the Northwest League title for the first time. Bohler did it with a team mostly made up of home-grown players. The starting five consisted of Ivan Price and the Moss brothers, Norm and Bob, all three from Pullman, Eddie Copeland of Walla Walla, and Bohler’s brother Roy from Pennsylvania. Washington State was even better in 1917. Bohler’s team won the newly formed Pacific Coast Conference with virtually the same lineup, plus Glenn Glover, another Pullman product. Price and Roy Bohler made all-conference. With a final season record of 25-1 (the lone loss was to California in Berkeley, and WSC beat the Bears the following night), the Helms Athletic Foundation declared State national champions at the conclusion of that great season which saw WSC play 18 of its 26 games on the road. “Doc” Bohler’s record over 18 seasons (1909-26) was 226- 82 83 103 SEASONS AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY 177 for a .561 winning percentage, second best among all Most of all, he was a coaching genius! Cougar basketball coaches with more than two seasons at Friel had never coached a college game when he took over the helm. Washington State’s ailing basketball program for the 1929 McClellan “Chick” Rockey, a forward on the Bohler teams season. Jack had played under “Doc” Bohler from 1921-23, of 1918-21, was the only All-Pacific Coast Conference and his team at North Central High School in Spokane won selection from Washington State in the Bohler era. “Chick” the school’s first State championship in 1928. was selected in 1919 and 1920. After Bohler gave up coaching, because of pressing duties as athletic director and head of WSC’s physical education THE FRIEL DYNASTY program, WSC track coach Karl Schlademan took over for two seasons, posting a record of 18-27 before the arrival of Jack Friel had more nicknames than any other coach at Friel. Washington State. He was “The Fox of the Palouse,” “The Friel had a losing season in his first year, before his teams Silver Fox,” and, late in his 30-year career, “The Prune.” posted five straight marks above .500. The 1932 team finished 22-5 and was runner-up for the Northern Division title of the Pacific Coast Conference. To this day, Friel is the winningest Washington State basketball coach, and has a career best winning percentage, .568 (872-495) over 30 seasons (1929-58). That is why the playing floor at Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum, “Friel Court,” is named in his honor. In 2003, Friel was inducted into the Pacific-10 Conference Hall of Honor. Every Cougar remembers Jack’s great team of 1941, but his ’37 club, led by all-conference center Ivar Nelson, won the Northern Division of the Pacific Coast in a miracle finish. The Cougars won a three-way playoff vs. Washington in Seattle, and Oregon in Bohler Gym, and then met Stanford with its all-time greatest Angelo “Hank” Luisetti for the Pacific Coast crown. Old Cougars tell how “Stanford won (31-28 and 41-40), but Nelson outscored Luisetti (19-18)!” In 1941, Friel got his revenge. The Cougars won the Northern Division with a 13-3 mark and defeated Stanford two straight for the Pacific Coast title. Washington State then beat Creighton (48-39) in the NCAA tournament and stunned tournament favorite Arkansas (64- 53) to advance to the championship game. Wisconsin knocked off WSC 39-34 in the title game in Kansas City, Mo., to deny the Cougars a national championship. Two members of that ’41 team, center Paul Lindemann and guard Ray Sundquist, were named All-Pacific Coast Conference. Lindemann and Sundquist, along with Art McLarney (1930), Huntly Gordon (1932), Ivar Nelson (1937), Gale Bishop (1943), and Larry Beck 1956 and 1957) were named All-PCC during coach Friel’s years. Vince Hanson set an NCAA scoring record in 1945 with 592 points and was named All-American, but the PCC all-star selections were discontinued in 1944 and not resumed until 1956. Jack Friel 82 83 103 SEASONS AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY State. But the luck of the draw put the playoffs on the home court of Southern Division winner UCLA. “They trapped us in a handball court,” Conley said years later. He was referring to the gymnasium at Westwood that made Bohler Gym back in Pullman look like the Staples Center. UCLA won the opener 60-58 on a 50-foot heave at the buzzer by forward Ralph Joeckel, and claimed the series 52-49 the following night to give John Wooden his first Pacific Coast Conference title. Players making All-Northern Division in the Friel years included Art McLarney, Claud Holsten, Huntly Gordon, Ken Wills, Huntley McPhee, Jack Holstine, Jack Jennings, Bud Olson, Ray Sundquist, Vern Butts, Gale Bishop, Paul Lindemann, Marv Gilberg, Vince Hanson, Bob Sheridan, Ed Gayda, Gene Conley, Bob Gambold, Ron Bennink and Larry Beck. Paul Lindemann, (1939-1941) Ronald Bennink, (1953-1955) One of the truly great innovators of basketball, coach Friel introduced a “two-platoon” system, where he would HARSHMAN AND HEATHCOTE substitute by units, and he forced his opposition—even the Marv Harshman came to Washington State following an talent rich John Wooden teams at UCLA—to do the same.